Super Nutritious Foods High in Selenium

Selenium is a mineral necessary for an optimally functioning thyroid gland. It also has antioxidant properties that help protect the cells from free radical damage as well as prevent cancer. You might experience painful joints and muscles if you lack in selenium. You may also develop white spots on your nails and fail to have strong and healthy hair due to it.

So should you rush to the nearest pharmacy or health foods store to get your hands on a bottle of supplement containing selenium to keep at bay various problems associated with deficiency in the said mineral? Not necessarily. Including the foods listed below in your diet allows you to get the right amounts of selenium your body requires.

Nuts

Nuts can add some crunch to salads, baked goodies, yogurt and oatmeal. Consuming the likes of Brazil nuts, cashews, macadamia nuts and walnuts allows you to get sufficient amounts of selenium. Nuts are also great sources of healthy fats, protein, calcium and iron. In addition, they contain fiber that helps ward off constipation.

Seafood

If you have no qualms eating seafood, then you shouldn’t worry about not getting enough selenium. There are good amounts of this mineral in the likes of oysters, clams, squid, lobster, mussels and octopus. These delectable treats from the sea also provide sodium and iron that helps in the production of oxygen-carrying red blood cells.

Fish

Aside from supplying your body with good amounts of protein and very minimal amounts of saturated fats that clog up the arteries and make you gain excess pounds, fish also provides you with selenium. Steer clear of problems related to deficiency in selenium by regularly having tuna, mackerel, tilapia, halibut and snapper.

Seeds

Some of the most health-friendly snacks on the planet are seeds. What makes them particularly good for you is they contain selenium. The likes of sunflower, chia, sesame, watermelon, pumpkin, squash and flax seeds also contain healthy fats that help lower bad cholesterol, as well as protein and vitamin E that helps keep your skin stay young-looking.

Meat

Eating meat is good for building and repairing muscles because it is loaded with protein. You can get sufficient amounts if selenium by including it in your diet too. Meat such as beef, pork, lamb, chicken and turkey also supply your body with iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, copper and zinc. It’s a good idea to choose lean cuts of beef, pork and lamb to limit the amount of saturated fats you consume. When eating poultry, go for the breast part and remove the skin.

Whole Grains

It’s common knowledge that adding whole grains to your everyday diet is good for you. The likes of brown rice, wild rice, barley, rye, quinoa, oatmeal and other products containing whole grains have selenium. They are also excellent sources of carbohydrates, iron, calcium, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and folate.

Mushrooms

Shiitake, crimini, portabella, white — these types of mushrooms and others supply your body with selenium. What’s so nice about mushrooms is they also contain good amounts of protein, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, niacin, phosphorous, manganese and copper. They are very low in fat and contain absolutely no cholesterol.